Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road was officially the song of 2019. After gaining popularity on TikTok, it quickly shot through the charts, becoming diamond certified by the end of the year and cementing Nas X’s status as a chart music icon.
Lil Nas X at the 62nd Grammy Awards, Los Angeles, January 2020.
SIPA USA/ALAMY LIVE NEWS
The single also topped the Billboard Top 100 for an eye watering 19 weeks; and it was during this time that Lil Nas X publicly announced that he was gay (making him the first recording artist in history to do so while at the number one spot). After telling fans to listen closely to the lyrics of C7osure, a track from his newly release 7 EP, he later posted on Twitter, joking, “deadass thought I made it obvious,” with a screenshot that highlighted a pride flag incorporated into the design of his EP’s cover.